Monday's Starting Lineup

Good Monday morning. Beware the Ides of March, and don't forget to fill out your brackets. We're trying to stifle our outrage over Washington's 11 seed because we'd rather see them beat New Mexico in the 2nd round rather than face a 1 seed.

Here's today's Starting Lineup, previewing the people who will matter in politics today:

HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE CHAIR JOHN SPRATT: Spratt's powerful committee will meet today at 3 p.m. to mark up legislation that will serve as the vehicle for reconciliation fixes in what Dems hope is the final step toward health care reform. The bill, released last night, is subject to a final push that WH press secretary Robert Gibbs said yesterday is likely to be completed by week's end.

The 2,309-page bill (watch out, that's a big pdf) will eliminate the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase and other deals intended to entice lawmakers to vote with Dems. And now that the party actually has a bill to defend, leadership will be able to twist the arms necessary to win back momentum the party seemed to be losing last week. Dem leadership has a narrow window to get to the 216 votes they need for passage, but they remain publicly optimistic those votes will be there when necessary -- and necessary is this week.

Spratt is one of the incumbents who will be most impacted by the legislation's final drive. Facing a tough re-election campaign this fall against state Sen. Mick Mulvaney (R), Spratt has been unapologetically in favor of passing a reform measure, and intimately involved in the process too. If GOPers are going to take back the House, they will need to argue that long-time members like Spratt have lost touch with their districts, and that the health care bill is proof. Spratt won't make it easy for the GOP, but he's in for a much tougher re-election contest than he's had for quite some time.

PRES. OBAMA: As the reform push kicks off, Obama and his admin are putting the full-court press on OH today. Obama will travel to the Cleveland area for a campaign rally-style event, and he's bringing Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) along with him. Kucinich is one of the liberals who voted against the bill because it didn't go far enough, and he's someone the WH needs in their corner as the 216 figure looms large.

Obama and the WH are using their own tactics to twist arms this week. They've signaled they will favor incumbents who voted for the health care legislation over those who voted against the bill when scheduling campaign stops this year, assuaging some Dem fears that any triangulation technique would cost Dems seats. The WH's willingness to engage sends a strong message to Dems -- they won't be alone and exposed on the campaign trail this year. The WH's prioritization of members who vote with them is another strong message -- the campaign trail is a two-way street.

The WH's willingness to get active is on display today, when VP Joe Biden hits both corners of the Buckeye State in full campaign mode. Biden is in Cincinnati this afternoon for a fundraising event with Rep. Steve Driehaus (D), a freshman in a competitive district who voted for the health care bill. Driehaus beat ex-Rep. Steve Chabot (R) because of turnout driven by the top of the ticket, but he'll need help to keep his seat.

Speaking of those who need help keeping their seats, Biden will head to Cleveland this afternoon for a fundraiser with Gov. Ted Strickland (D), who finds himself locked in a tough fight with ex-Rep. John Kasich (R) for the right to serve 4 more years.

SEN. CHRIS DODD: The slow pace of health care reform has sidelined or otherwise delayed several other legislative priorities, sapping momentum from bills that have bubbled under the surface for weeks in some cases, months in others. Today, Dodd will try and push one of those priorities forward when he releases details of his proposal for financial reform. Dodd has been negotiating with his GOP colleagues, most notably with Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), but he's worried that the ball they had rolling is getting stuck in the mud.

Dodd says he plans a full committee markup on the bill next week, and he's releasing details today in order to push forward the bipartisan talks. Whether he is successful, or if GOPers decide Dems are again pursuing a go-it-alone approach, will determine just what other of Obama's legislative priorities have a chance to make it through Congress this year. Legislators pushing education reform, immigration reform, campaign finance reform and any of the myriad jobs bills sluggishly making their way through Congress are watching closely.

But Dodd will have some help -- the AFL-CIO will launch a campaign aimed at pressuring big banks to go along with reform efforts.

Still, something to watch: The Chamber of Commerce has said it will spend up to $10M on an anti-health care campaign in key districts around the country. Dem allies have yet to match the GOP coalition's efforts, and it's becoming a source of frustration for Dem campaign aides that the party's key backers have seemingly moved on to next priorities.